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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27618089">not gone ( marching far away )</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dayqiow/pseuds/dayqiow'>dayqiow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Siblings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:28:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>892</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27618089</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dayqiow/pseuds/dayqiow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Brother after brother, <br/>grave after grave, <br/>tear after tear."</p><p>Rex is burying his brothers after the horrific crash, and realizes that one of them needs comfort as he takes his dying breath.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-5597 | Jesse &amp; CT-7567 | Rex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>not gone ( marching far away )</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brother after brother, grave after grave, tear after tear.  Rex assumed that he should have become numb by now, dehydrated even from the sheer amount of time he’s cried, but the feeling never ceased, especially as he’s digging the next grave.  Blistered hands holding onto the shovel for all it’s worth, arms aching, but he wouldn’t stop until each man was given the burial that he deserved ( especially when the deaths could have been prevented, had he only listened to another fallen brother ). </p><p> A noise pulled him away from his thoughts, and he turned his head to glance around; he could see Ahsoka in the distance, kneeling over one of the graves, adjusting the fallen soldier’s helmet on the makeshift tombstone.  He was about to turn his attention back to the job at hand, to attempt to distract himself from the fresh wave of tears that were threatening to fall, when that noise is heard once again.  His heart gave a leap, his stomach churning.  They hadn’t even gotten through all of the bodies, having had to wait for the crashsite to ( stop burning ), but he knows that noise; it’s scared, filled with pain, and he knows that he can’t ignore it, can’t push it aside.  “Can you make that noise again?”  His voice is shaky, and within a few moments, he is making his way onto the Venator, the scent of smoke and death lingering inside.  </p><p>It was a horrific sight to see; the blood, the bodies. . .and the piece of equipment shifting slightly in the far corner, as if  something was trapped under it.  As if someone was trapped under it.  “It’s okay––hey, I’m coming!”  He shouted, and it’s more of a scrambled attempt to get there as fast as he possibly could, avoiding any sharp pieces of rubble, trying so desperately to not look towards any of the other bodies, until he was moving to kneel down and come back to face with––don’t cry, don’t cry.  Jesse’s helmet was staring right up at him, fidgeting only slightly, and the pool of blood underneath him was only growing darker and wider by the second.  Shaky hands reached out, and with as much careful precision as possible, the helmet was removed from his little brother’s head.  “Ik'aad vod––, he whispered, and the sight of the dark bruises and bloodied spots on Jesse’s face made him feel nauseous.  Before he could open his mouth again, Jesse’s own is twitching up into a weak smile, and he can feel his heart break by the second.  “Least we have a chance to say good-bye, huh, ori’vod?”  The trail of blood falling down the corner of his mouth was shakily wiped away by one of Rex’s hands, and he kept his brothers cheek cupped, desperate for any contact.  ( Please don’t leave him, please don’t leave him, please don’t le––). </p><p> “It’s going to be okay, Jess.”  No, it wouldn’t.  The Force apparently decided that it wasn’t enough to suffer through burying his brothers; now he’d have to watch one die right in front of him, right in his arms.  ( Good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers fo––).  “I don’t have much time left.” Rex could see a dark bruise forming on the side of Jesse’s head, right where he knew the chip was located.  It must have malfunctioned during the crash.  </p><p>Rex couldn’t come to terms if it was a blessing or a curse.  “I’ll tell Hardcase and Fives you said hi, yeah? Sure they miss gettin' you riled up.”  An attempt at humor that had a noise falling from Rex that was a mix of a sob and a laugh.  “You’re gonna raise so much cain with them there.”  He’s leaning in to press their heads together, an affectionate headbonk that he’d done ever since Jesse was a cadet.  “I don’t want to die.”  The crack in Jesse’s voice was something that would haunt Rex for the remainder of his life, but he couldn’t fall apart yet, he had to stay strong for the dying brother in his arms.  “You’re gonna see our brothers again, all of’em we’ve lost.”  The smile on his lips is genuine, and his eyes are teary.  “And our Jetii––you’ll be able to pester them, too.  I can already hear General Skywalker joining in on the fun.”  Jesse’s laugh was weak, but such a good sound to hear, even as the light was fading from his eyes, even as his body was losing it’s tension. </p><p> “Nuhoy jii, ik'aad vod.  Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.”  It’s whispered, and the final ounce of light fades from those eyes as the smallest hint of a smile flickers on Jesse’s lips.  Then everything is gone, and Rex places a hand upon his face, closing his eyes for him.  The last brother he’d watched grow, he had loved, he had fought alongside with was gone.  The idea of other survivors could be thought of more later, the graves would be finished before he did anything else.  </p><p>A soft hand on his shoulder pulled him from his tears, from his lonesome misery, and as those arms wrapped around him for an embrace, Rex could hear she was sobbing alongside him.  It was the two of them against the galaxy now, brother and sister, two lost souls taking a moment to mourn all that they've ever known.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi!! i hope you guys like it :)<br/>dedicated to nat for proof-reading and bc i love her &lt;3<br/>my twitter is @/SlTHLESS if you wanna follow &lt;3</p><p>ori'vod- big brother</p><p>Nuhoy jii, ik'aad vod.  Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum - Sleep now, baby brother. I love you.</p><p>ik'aad vod- baby brother</p></blockquote></div></div>
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